Drying apparatus.



No. 764:,150.v PATENTED JULY 5, 1904. J. A. RIDINGS.

DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILED APR. 27. 1004.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

lllllllllll A W" I No. 764,150. PATENTED JULY 5, 1904- J. A. RIDINGS. DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.27, 1904.

H0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

3141mm fox q/Vil vwawo 35 J0 km A c2 453L 4.

Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ALFORD RIDINGS, OF MARQUAM, OREGON.

DRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,150, dated July 5, 1904.

Applicationfiled April 2'7, 1904. Serial No. 205,153. (No model.)

To all wh07n it natty concern/.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN ALroRD R1D1Nes,a citizen of the United States, residing at Marquam, in the county of Olackamas and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drying Apparatus; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in drying apparatus, and especially in the provision of mechanism for conveniently conveying trays of material to be dried into and out of a kiln; and the object of the invention is to produce a device of this character in which a plurality of trays are provided which are adapted to be run into a kiln one above the other and in the provision of means whereby the under of the trays may be withdrawn from the kiln and allowing the superimposed tray to be lowered into the place occupied by the under tray, and leaving room for the reception of a tray of material to be dried.

The invention consists, further, in various details of construction and in combinations and arrangements of parts,which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my im proved apparatus, showing the under tray or car about to be withdrawn up an inclined track, the upper tray being raised to allow the under tray to be easily removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing parts in elevation and illustrating two cars held within the kiln one above the other. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the upper tray about to be drawn into the kiln. Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the cars or trays, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter,A designates the framework of the interior of a kiln and store-room and which may be suitably housed, and B B designate transverse parallel beams upon whicha track B is laid, said beams beingsupported by the cross-pieces B whereby the cars or trays O and C may be drawninto the kiln or store-room, as may be desired and in a manner about to be described. Each of the cars is provided with wheels D, which are pivotally mounted upon the shafts D, which shafts are supported by the straps D although no novelty is claimed for the particular arrangement of the wheels, and they may be mounted in any suitable manner which may be found to be best adapted for the purpose.

Pivotally mounted on the pins E, carried by the upright posts A, are the verticallyswinging tracks F, the free ends of which are adapted to rest upon the transverse beams B when the apparatus is adjusted in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, in which position a car or tray may be drawn up the incline when the contents of said car has been dried and it is desired to dry a new batch of material. The under edges of the tracks F are inclined, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, and a winding shaft or drum G is journaled in the upper ends of the uprights A and is provided with a handle G at one end, whereby said shaft may be rotated. A cable 9 is fastened at one end to and adapted to wind about the shaft G, while its other end may be passed about a pulley H and its ends fastened at H to the corners of the tray or car, whereby when the tracks F are'raised to horizontal positions, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the car or tray 0 may be drawn into the kiln and upon the edges O of the car O. For hoisting the free ends of the tracks F a winding-shaft or Windlass K is provided, which is journaled in the upright posts K, and suitable hand-wheels K are fitted to the ends of the shaft K, and winding-cables N are secured to and wind about the shaft K, and their ends are fastened to eyes N, mounted upon the cross-piece N which connects the swinging ends of the tracks F.

J ournaled in the cross-pieces O, which are supported by the uprights O, forming a part of the framework of the kiln, is a shaft Q, to the ends of which are fixed hand-wheels Q, and cables I are secured to and adapted to wind about said shaft Q and pass over pulleys R and carry tackle-blocks R, which are pro vided with hooks J, adapted to engage eyes J upon the sides of the car or tray, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. The ends of the two cables I at each end of the shaft Q are fixed to the sheave-block P. By the provision of the shaft Q and the tackle-block connected therewith it will be observed that a tray may be raised to the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings to allow the under tray to be removed, and afterward said upper tray may be lowered to take the place of the one which has been withdrawn from underneath it to make way for a tray of material to be dried. The cable g, which is utilized in drawing in the tray in the manner shown in Fig. 2, is employed also to draw out the under tray up to the inclined tracks, as shown in Fig. 1, by fastening the cable 9 to the eyes 7/1 In order to allow the contents of the car to be dumped, I have made up the bottom of each car with a series of pivotal grate-sections, (designated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings by letters M, M, and M which sections are pivotally mounted with interlocking ends, and buttons on are provided to hold said grate-sections from tilting upon their pivotal pins m, and a locking-rod m passes through the opposite ends of the car and also through the end pieces of the middle grate-section M. By removing said rod m the middle grate-section may be readily removed from the car, if desired.

The operation of my apparatus will be readily understood when taken in connection with the foregoing description and with the drawings which form a part of this application, and is as follows: The first car to be run into the kiln from the store-room after having been filled with the material to be dried is allowed to run down the inclined tracks F and to assume the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, after which the tracksF may be raised to horizontal positions, as illustrated in the drawings, and a second car may be drawn into the kiln by the wheels of the up per car running over the tracks F upon the upper edge of the carC, which tracks are continuous with the tracks F when raised to a horizontal plane. When it is desired to re move the underneath car or tray, the tackle connected with the shaft Q is connected to the upper car and the same raised from contact with the track upon the under car, after which the inclined tracks F are lowered to the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the cable operated by the shaft G is connected to the eye L on the end of the car C, and the car C may be readily drawn up the inclined tracks into the store-room and the upper car lowered into the position assumed by the under car before being withdrawn from the kiln.

While I have shown a particular construction of apparatus embodying the features of my invention which is adapted especially for drying hops, it will be understood that I may make various alterations in the detailed construction of the apparatus without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Adrying apparatus comprising in combination with a kiln and store-room, fixed tracks within said kiln, pivotal inclined tracks running from the store-room into the kiln and connecting with said fixed tracks, cars adapted to travel upon said tracks, and means for moving cars into and out of the kiln independent of each other, as set forth.

2. A drying apparatus comprising in combination with a kiln and store-room, fixed tracks within said kiln, pivotal inclined tracks running from the store-room into the kiln and connecting with said fixed tracks, cars, one mounted upon said fixed tracks within the kiln and the other superimposed upon the said car, and means for raising one car while the under car is being withdrawn, as set forth.

3. A drying apparatus comprising in combination with a kiln and store-room, fixed tracks within said kiln, pivotal inclined tracks running from the store-room into the kiln and connecting with said fixed tracks, a car adapted to be moved into the kiln upon said fixed tracks, tracks upon the upper edges of said car, a second car superimposed upon the under car, and means for raising one car while an under car is being withdrawn, as set forth.

4. A drying apparatus comprising in combination with a kiln and store-room, fixed tracks within said kiln, pivotal inclined tracks running from the store-room into the kiln and connecting with said fixed tracks, a car adapted to be moved upon said fixed tracks, tracks upon the upper edges of said car, means for raising said inclined tracks so that they will be continuous with the tracks upon the upper edges of said car, a second car adapted to travel upon said continuous tracks, and means for moving said cars into and out of the kiln, as set forth.

5. A drying apparatus comprising in combination with a kiln and store-room, fixed tracks within said kiln, pivotal inclined tracks running from the store-room into the kiln and adapted to rest upon said fixed tracks, a car adapted to be moved upon said fixed tracks and. provided with tracks upon its upper edge, means for raising said inclined tracks so that they will be continuous and in the same horizontal plane with the upper edge of a car upon said fixed tracks, a second car adapted to travel upon said continuous tracks, a windlass, and cable connections between the same and said second car, whereby the latter may be raised, and a Windlass and connections with the under car, whereby said under car may be Withdrawn from the kiln as the inclined tracks are lowered, as set forth.

6. A drying apparatus comprising a framework of a kiln and store-room, fixed tracks within the kiln, inclined tracks pivoted at their outer ends to the upright posts of said framework, and having their free ends beveled and resting upon said fixed tracks, a Windlass journaled in uprights of the frame, cable connections between said Windlass and free ends of said inclined tracks, a car having wheels adapted to rest upon said inclined and fixed tracks, 5 tracks mounted upon the upper edge of said car, the ends of said tracks adjacent to the upper end of said car being recessed, a Windlass and cable adapted to be connected to said car, a second car, and means for raising the same Within a kiln, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN ALFORD RIDINGS.

Witnesses:

A. B. HIBBARD, P. S. ADAMS. 

